Explore has launched a new range of unique, one-off tours with an emphasis on exploring little-visited destinations, undiscovered festivals and special events in especially small groups. Called ‘Limited Collection’, three trips will launch the new sub-brand, with further trips being released every three months. The first tours each offer an opportunity to discover extraordinary and rarely visited parts of the world.

As an example, a 16-day Congo and CAR: A Pioneering Expedition departs on January 23, 2013 with a maximum group size of eight people, and travels from Brazzaville, through the Congo basin to Bangui in the Central Africa Republic.

Much of this trip’s appeal is the journey itself, as it makes its way by road, dugout canoe and on foot through the World’s second largest rainforest to an area little visited by anyone except scientists. In search of the endangered lowland gorilla, three gorilla treks are also included in the trip and there is also the opportunity to meet indigenous Pygmy communities. Prices lead in at £8,375 per person, including flights from Heathrow, accommodation (five nights’ forest camps, six nights’ lodges, two nights’ hotels), all meals, a tour leader, local and forest guides and all transport. The other two trips include a 14-day Tribes and Festivals of Southern China with Richard Beal, which departs on February 16 and costs from £2,096, and a 12-day Falklanders’ Welcome which departs on October 25 and costs from £4,591.